PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes and Henry Davis have proved to be one of the most effective batteries in baseball, having a knack of knowing what pitches to call and putting up zeros.
On Monday, they showed they also work quite well when bagging groceries for veterans.
Skenes, Davis and members of the team, front office and coaching staff took part in helping to bag and distribute groceries for Operation Troop Appreciation. It was one of six events held either in or around Pittsburgh as part of the team’s Day of Service in honor of Roberto Clemente.
The franchise icon is recognized league wide every year on Sept. 15, but in recent years, the Pirates have made sure to have outreach programs on his day to recognize his humanitarian work.
“This is a responsibility that we have,” Skenes, the Pirates’ nominee for the Clemente Award this year, said. “We’re stewards of the game. We’re Major League Baseball players. It’s a crazy platform that we have to do good. We have a responsibility to use our platform for good. It’s great to be out here. It’s one day. We’re honoring the legacy of Roberto. We’re doing good in some peoples’ lives, but there’s more work to be done.”
The team sponsored six events in and around the city Monday, with the North Shore event being open to the media. Also at the distribution event were Jared Triolo, Cam Sanders, Cam Devanney, Kyle Nicolas, catching coach Jordan Comadena, team president Travis Williams and two of Roberto’s sons, Roberto Clemente Jr. and Luis.
“I look forward to this every year,” Luis Clemente said. “... Whenever something like this is happening, Dad’s spirit is present.”
Members of the organization also joined a local RBI group to take part in a field renovation, while others visited a women’s shelter to provide and pack items for “welcome home bags,” Pittsburgh’s Ronald McDonald House to meet with family and staff, and the Latino Community Center to assemble snack packs and provide mental wellness kits for the children and teens the center serves. Team executives and front office members also held a packing event at PNC Park in support of Operation Troop Appreciation.
Skenes was named the Pirates’ nominee for the Clemente Award in large part for his work with the military community, which included donating his time and money to the Gary Sinise Foundation. During the season, he and teammates volunteered to refresh the outdoor space of the Friends of Fisher House, a home for families whose loved ones are being treated at Pittsburgh’s Veteran’s Hospital. He also has donated tickets to veterans and joined Pirates Charities to hold a clinic for veterans and active service personnel.
“We can never do enough,” Skenes said. “The sacrifice that veterans and first responders make over the course of their career, then after they’re done, after they retire, after they leave the service, whatever it is. It’s greater than anything we could pay them back for. There’s never enough that we can do.”
It’s also fitting for being part of a day of service since Clemente was a veteran, serving in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1958-1964 as an infantry man. Clemente is best known as a humanitarian and as a baseball player, but serving his country was a point of pride.
“Dad was very proud to be Puerto Rican, but he was even more proud to be an American and a Marine,” Roberto Clemente Jr. said. “For us to be here today, servicing the military, that is a godsend. It is a gift.”
Before Monday’s game against the Cubs, the Pirates will honor Skenes and the winners of the organization’s Pirates Community Commitment Program, which is a Clemente-inspired initiative in which players throughout the development system are asked to complete a minimum of 10 hours of community service annually. It’s done so Clemente’s impact can be felt year-round and not just on Sept. 15.
“We’ve got a legacy to uphold,” Davis said. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure everybody’s on the same page of not only the person we’re representing, but the city as well.”